At a glance
“Three of the units will be added to the Alfred campus, while two others will be placed on the Wellsville campus,” said Greg Sammons, Chief of Police and coordinator of the grant application. “Once in place, the four sirens on the Alfred campus and two on the Wellsville campus will significantly enhance the volume of the sirens for people walking anywhere between buildings and in many cases, will penetrate the buildings and reach indoor classrooms and offices quite well.
Alfred State College, in its continuing efforts to ensure the safety of its students, faculty, and staff, recently applied for grant funding to add additional outdoor warning sirens to its already comprehensive emergency notification system. The Remote Community Alert Systems Program 2010, offered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), awarded funding to Alfred State College exceeding $60,000 in order to add five additional outdoor warning sirens to the existing unit in place at Alfred State.
Essi Corp., a company based in Broussard, LA, will supply Alfred State with the five 133db outdoor, omni-directional warning sirens which emit a 360 degree beam of sound on a horizontal plane. While the sirens are typically used in maritime environments as fog signals, the siren -- Essi’s FaradicWave 6 -- pairs perfectly with the College’s need for a siren that is distinct from the village fire whistle. The five additional sirens are the same model as the first unit already in place at the college.
“Three of the units will be added to the Alfred campus, while two others will be placed on the Wellsville campus,” said Greg Sammons, Chief of Police and coordinator of the grant application. “Once in place, the four sirens on the Alfred campus and two on the Wellsville campus will significantly enhance the volume of the sirens for people walking anywhere between buildings and in many cases, will penetrate the buildings and reach indoor classrooms and offices quite well. Coupled with our SUNY Emergency Alert system, an all-hazards alert and notification Web-based portal that allows us to send phone calls, text messages, and e-mails, Alfred State enjoys possibly the most comprehensive and substantial warning system in the region.”
The sirens can all be activated from the University Police Department’s dispatch center. The batteries are recharged with solar energy and are unaffected by power outages. The new sirens are expected to arrive within the next two weeks and be installed before the beginning of the spring semester.